There are four main categorizations of drugs:
1. Stimulants – These drugs increase activity of the central nervous system, causing increased energy, alertness, heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing. Examples include caffeine, amphetamines, and cocaine.
2. Depressants – These drugs have the opposite effect on the central nervous system, slowing down activity and resulting in symptoms like drowsiness, decreased breathing, and reduced heart rate. Examples include alcohol, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines.
3. Narcotics – These drugs work by reducing the perception of pain, while often also causing drowsiness and a decrease in motor coordination. Examples include morphine, heroin, and codeine.
4. Hallucinogens – These drugs cause sensory disturbances and hallucinations, and also often have an effect on mood and thought processes. Examples include LSD, mescaline, and psilocybin mushrooms.
What are the 4 major drug classes?
The four major drug classes are prescription medications, over-the-counter drugs, dietary supplements, and alternative and complementary medicine substances.
Prescription medications are pharmaceutical drugs that can only be obtained and used with a valid doctor’s prescription. Common types of prescription medications include antibiotics, steroids, birth control pills, antidepressants, and antianxiety medications.
Over-the-counter drugs are medications that can be purchased without a prescription, but they still require directions and caution when using. Common examples of OTC drugs include antihistamines, decongestants, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and antacids.
Dietary supplements are a broad category of products that contain various vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and herbs or other botanical extracts. Examples of dietary supplements include vitamins A, B, C, and D, calcium, magnesium, iron, bilberry, ginkgo, and saw palmetto.
Alternative and complementary medicine substances are medications or remedies used in place of conventional treatments. Some examples of alternative or complementary medicine substances include acupuncture, homeopathy, naturopathy, massage therapy, and yoga.
What are the 4 main classifications of drugs?
The four main classifications of drugs are Stimulants, Depressants, Hallucinogens, and Opioids.
Stimulants, such as cocaine and amphetamines, work to activate various parts of the nervous system, resulting in an increased ability to focus and increased energy levels. Depressants, such as alcohol, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines, slow down the activity within the central nervous system, resulting in a reduced ability to concentrate and a heightened state of relaxation.
Hallucinogens, such as LSD, mescaline, and psilocybin mushrooms, are known to create vivid changes to one’s perception of reality, resulting in altered states of consciousness, vivid visual and auditory experiences, and a profound sense of altered time and space awareness.
Opioids, such as morphine and codeine, work to attach to opioid receptors in the brain and create a sense of euphoria and pain relief.
These are the four main classifications of drugs, and it’s important to recognize the potential risks associated with all of them, as the overuse or misuse of any of these substances can potentially lead to long-term effects, such as addiction or overdose.
What are 4 different forms of addiction?
Addiction takes many forms and can be categorized in a variety of ways. According to The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM):
1. Substance Use Addiction: Substance use addiction is any compulsive use of mind- or mood-altering substances, such as alcohol, prescription or recreational drugs.
2. Behavioral Addiction: Behavioral addiction is any compulsive, repeated actions or activities. Common examples include gambling, shopping, video gaming, and use of the Internet.
3. Process Addiction: Process addiction is an addiction to an internal process, such as overeating, extreme exercise, or sexual activity.
4. Dual Diagnosis: Dual diagnosis refers to the co-occurrence of mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder, along with addiction to substances or behaviors.
What are Class A and C drugs?
Class A and C drugs are classifications of controlled drugs in the UK. The classification system is commonly known as the Misuse of Drugs Act and was introduced in 1971. Class A drugs are seen as the most dangerous and the most likely to be misused and these drugs carry the harshest penalties if they are stocked, supplied or possessed illegally.
Class A drugs include cocaine, ecstasy, LSD, heroin, magic mushrooms, methamphetamine, and ketamine.
Class C drugs are seen as having a lower abuse potential and penalties for illegal possession or supply are considered to be less severe than for Class A drugs. Class C drugs include some prescription medicines such as Valium and codeine-containing medicines, as well as some other drugs such as anabolic steroids, GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate), ketamine, and tranquillisers including benzodiazepines.
What does C4 drug mean?
C4 is a type of designer drug known as a cathinone. Cathinones are synthetic stimulants that share chemical structures with substances found in the khat plant, an evergreen shrub native to east Africa in Yemen and Somalia.
C4 is one of the most popularly used cathinones, popular among party and club-goers as an alternative to cocaine and other stimulants. It can produce effects similar to those of cocaine, cannabis, or MDMA, causing increased alertness, wakefulness, talkativeness, and euphoria along with heightened libido and increased tactile sensation in users.
C4 is generally available as a fine, white powder that can be taken by snorting or ingesting, or it can be added to cigarettes or vaporized using a vaporizer device. It should be noted that C4 is a potent and potentially dangerous substance, and can lead to serious health complications such as nausea, heart issues, or even death when abused.
What is Schedule 5 drugs example?
Schedule 5 drugs are drugs that have a low potential for abuse relative to other drugs that are listed in the Controlled Substances Act. Examples of Schedule 5 drugs include Lyrica, Robitussin A/C (cough/cold medications containing codeine), Motofen (containing codeine/difenoxin), Lomotil (containing diphenoxylate/atropine), Cepacol (containing benzocaine/antipyrine), and Vivitrol (containing naltrexone).
Schedule 5 drugs have very limited, if any, potential for abuse. For example, drugs like Lyrica and Robitussin A/C have limited medical value, and their abuse potential is low. Motofen, which contains codeine and difenoxin, has some potential for abuse because of its codeine content, but it is still considered a low-risk Schedule 5 drug compared to other controlled substances.
Likewise, Cepacol, which contains benzocaine and antipyrine; and Vivitrol, which contains naltrexone, do not have any short or long-term potential for abuse, so they are considered Schedule 5 drugs.
